


(i like shiny things but) i'd marry you with paper rings

by manbun_zukka



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Betrothal Necklace (Avatar), Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Coming Out, Confessing Feelings, Fluff, Gay Zuko (Avatar), Getting Together, M/M, Protective Sokka (Avatar), Secret Relationship, Time Skips, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 12:14:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24849598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manbun_zukka/pseuds/manbun_zukka
Summary: “Katara,” he started, willing the tremor in his voice to disappear. “Would you-” his breath caught in his throat. Was he really going to do this? He exhaled. Katara looked over at him, as if willing him to say something. “Would you still love me -if I- if I was into guys?”“Sokka,” Katara sighed. She leaned over and pulled her brother into a hug, letting his tears soak into her shoulder. “Of course I still love you.”---Following Sokka through coming out, falling in love, and maintaining that love for years to come.
Relationships: Aang & Sokka (Avatar), Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 41
Kudos: 1241





	(i like shiny things but) i'd marry you with paper rings

**Author's Note:**

> Hello lovelies! This is my first work in the fandom, but recently, I've fallen in love with Zukka! It's probably my #1 OTP at the moment, and I'm sure I'll be writing more about these two in the furture! I hope you like this little time-skip fic I put together after discovering this pair!
> 
> xx,  
> CJ

**Fire Nation Ship**

**\---**

Sokka was crying.

Not sobbing, or crying out in pain, or even making any noise at all. 

Just tear after tear, streaming quietly down his cheeks. 

It was just him out there, on the outer deck, leaning up against the cabin wall and looking out at the stars. It was so surreal to him, that this moment could be so calm, even though the entire world was on the brink of- well, on the brink of a lot. 

He let himself get lost in his thoughts, only for a moment. 

Why did this have to happen to him? He’d already had so much resting on his shoulders, and such shitty self-esteem; he didn’t need another McFucking Crisis on his hands. 

Sokka hardly noticed when the door to the cabin creaked open and Katara stepped out, sitting down next to him. 

“I was looking for you.” she said.

Sokka said nothing. 

“Please, don’t walk off like that.” Katara pleaded. “It makes me worry.”

“I’m sorry,” Sokka whispered, and Katara could just barely hear the shake in his voice. “I needed some air.”

“You can tell me things, Sokka.” 

“Katara,” he started, willing the tremor in his voice to disappear. “Would you-” his breath caught in his throat.  _ Was he really going to do this?  _ He exhaled. Katara looked over at him, as if willing him to say something. “Would you still love me -if I- if I was into guys?”

“Sokka,” Katara sighed. She leaned over and pulled her brother into a hug, letting his tears soak into her shoulder. “Of course I still love you.”

Sokka tucked his face into the crook of his sister’s neck and let out a broken sob. Katara held him closer, letting him unravel into her chest. “I’m sorry,” he sobbed. “I hate to be like this.”

“No, Sokka, it’s okay.” Katara soothed. “It’s okay. And it’s okay if you’re not okay too. We’re gonna figure this out. Together.”

Sokka nodded, and wiped his eyes, removing himself from his sister’s arms. “Mmhm.” he murmured, leaning his head against her shoulder.

“Listen, I know that stuff like this is hard,” Katara whispered gently. “It’s really friggin hard to keep such a big secret, and I know that you’ve got tons of other things that you’ve been worrying about- you’re not fooling me. But just, please,  _ tell me things _ .”   
  


“Yeah,” Sokka sniffled. “I will.”

  
  
  


**Day of Sozin's Comet**

**\---**

Sokka felt like he might be sick.

The possibility- no, the mere  _ thought  _ that he might not see these idiots again; it shook him to his very core. 

He glanced around him, taking in the sight of the people that had become his family. He saw Katara and Toph off to the side, arms around each other, and Katara was crying. And then, he noticed him, standing slightly off in the distance, wringing his hands together and pacing, was Zuko.

Sokka walked towards the prince, stepping up beside him once they’d reached even ground. The two of them had become closer friends in recent months, closer than they might give off, and Sokka knew that he would never forgive himself if Zuko died and he’d never gotten to tell him how he felt.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous in my life.” Zuko said softly once he noticed that Sokka was standing beside him.

“I have,” Sokka whispered. Zuko turned to face him, raising a single eyebrow. “When Katara and I had just met Aang, and we were first on the road, I realized that I was practically signing my life over to a ten year old monk. It was surreal, and really fucking scary, but now I know that that was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

“Sokka…” Zuko murmured, before grabbing him into a surprisingly forceful hug. Sokka hugged back with just as much fervor, tucking his face into the crook of Zuko’s neck, and wishing that he could stay there forever.

“Listen,” Sokka said, glancing around to make sure that the girls were occupied. “I have to tell you something, because if either of us die today, and I haven’t told you yet, I will feel immense guilt for the rest of my life. But, just- please, don’t say anything until I’m done?”

Zuko nodded, and Sokka took both of his hands into his own, taking a deep breath before beginning. “You’re just about the closest friend I’ve ever had. I mean, besides Katara, but she’s my sister, so she doesn’t count. And, no matter how much I really don’t want to fuck up the friendship that we do have, I’ve got to say this, just as an insurance policy in case we don’t get to see each other again. 

“There’s a very large possibility that I’ve somewhat developed feelings for you. And I mean, like,  _ romantic feelings _ .” he murmured, not looking up at Zuko. But Zuko didn’t flinch, or pull away, or do anything really, and Sokka took that as a sign to go on. “And I don’t expect you to reciprocate them, or anything like that, but I know that if I didn’t shoot my shot today, there’s a chance I wouldn’t be able to do it ever again. And I’m really shit at emotions, and I feel like I should probably stop talking now.” he finished, a blush rising on his cheeks as he looked down at the ground.

“Sokka,” Zuko whispered, letting go of one of his hands to tilt his face upwards so that they had eye-contact. “You ridiculous fool.” 

And then he kissed him.

It’s not what Sokka had expected their first kiss to be. It’s not aggressive, or needy, or angry, or anything like that. It’s soft, and it’s comforting, and it’s something that makes Sokka feel so safe, and so at ease, that he almost let’s himself forget their impending doom. 

When they finally pulled apart, Zuko leaned his forehead against Sokka’s, and they just stood there for a moment, breathing each other in. “Promise me,” Sokka whispered finally, “that when this whole thing is over, if we’re both still alive, we can, y’know…”

“Yeah,” Zuko hummed, letting the soothing weight of Sokka’s hand calm him. “I promise.”

  
  
  


**Southern Water Tribe**

**\---**

Aang didn’t think he’d ever seen Sokka cry before.

But he was crying now, silently, big, rounded tear-drops rolling down his face and hitting the letter in his hands. 

Aang hadn’t meant to stumble upon his friend, but the igloos down here had so many rooms, and sub-chambers, and hollowed out niches, that it was hard to know what was where. He’d originally been looking for one of his heavier cloaks that he’d left in Katara’s room, but he’d accidentally wandered into a side-alcove, finding Sokka holding a piece of parchment in his hands and sobbing quietly. 

He wasn’t sure what to do now; he’d never really seen Sokka have any of this sort of emotion, and wasn’t exactly sure how to go about dealing with it. He did, however, feel bad about just  _ leaving  _ Sokka there, so he sort of loitered awkwardly by the doorway.

Eventually, Aang figured that Sokka might not notice his presence on his own, and went to sit next to him on the small bench.

“You okay?” he said softly.

“No,” Sokka whispered, biting his lip. “But I’ll be fine, eventually.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Aang asked gently. “You don’t have to, or anything, but I always find more closure in a situation when I’ve really talked it over.”

Sokka sniffled slightly, taking a shuddering breath. “It’s Zuko.” he whispered. “I’m worried sick about him. Every letter that I get has something to do with some new responsibility, or law to pass, or  _ something,  _ and I can’t help but feel like the entirety of the world sometimes forgets that he’s still just an eighteen year old, who happened to suffer intense emotional trauma  _ less than a year ago _ . Sometimes, he tells me that he feels like the only people that actually listen to him are his friends and his uncle, and that’s just not fair.”

“It’s not.” Aang agreed, unused to seeing Sokka so worked up. 

“It just makes me feel horrible,” he sighed. “I’m not sure if he knows how much he means to me.”

“Sokka…” Aang trailed off. He wasn’t sure if it was his place to ask, but his curiosity overtook his better judgement. “Are you two, y’know…, together?”

“Yeah,” Sokka murmured so quietly that Aang had to strain his ears to hear it. “Have been since the comet.”

Aang wasn’t surprised. He’d always sort of seen the two of them being compatible, what with their contrasting tempers and personalities, and the feeling that they were always being pulled together, in some way or another.

“It’s perfectly fine to worry about the people that you care about.” he soothed. “I worry about Katara all the time. But you shouldn’t worry about Zuko knowing how much you care. I’m sure he does, no doubt about it.”

“Thanks, Aang.” Sokka sighed, folding the letter up and sliding it into his pocket. “Oh, and one more thing.  _ Please,  _ don’t tell Katara. I haven’t told her yet.”

“Of course,” Aang agreed. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

  
  
  


**Fire Nation Palace**

**\---**

Sokka found Zuko in the gardens.

He was sitting down on a slab of rock, next to one of the ponds, letting a baby turtleduck eat breadcrumbs from his outstretched hand. Sokka sat down quietly next to him, watching as one of the other ducks nuzzled it’s head against Zuko’s wrist. The ducks eventually lost interest and swam away, leaving the two men alone.

“I missed you.” Zuko whispered, so soft that Sokka might have missed it.

“I missed you too.” he whispered back, leaning his head onto Zuko’s shoulder. “Are you alright?”

“No,” Zuko said, trying for casual, although the words came out as a broken sob. He tucked his face further into Sokka’s neck, and the warrior wrapped his arms around him, swaying ever so slightly.

It was at this moment that Katara emerged from around the corner of a hedge, quietly enough that the two men didn’t hear her. She had been looking for Sokka, hoping to catch him for a quick moment just to talk for a bit, but froze in her tracks when she noticed the two of them. 

The whole gang was back together, Zuko, Sokka, herself, Aang, Toph, and Suki; they were all corralled in the palace for the week before Zuko’s coronation, supposedly there for ‘celebratory activities’ but Katara knew that it was mostly just to to calm Zuko’s nerves.

“Zuko…” Sokka sighed, letting the prince soak his shoulders with tears. “It’s going to be okay, I promise. We’ll figure it out.”

Zuko let out another soft sob into the crook of Sokka’s neck, and Katara startled. She’d never seen Zuko so much as  _ hug  _ somebody, and now he was sobbing in her brother’s arms. 

“I’m sorry to get like this,” Zuko choked out softly through his tears. “I’m just- Spirits, Sokka, I’m just so nervous.”

“Hey,” he said gently, “It’s okay to be nervous. You’ve got nothing to apologize for. I’d be nervous too, if I were you. But it’s all going to be fine. I know it’s going to be fine. You’ll be a great ruler, I’ve seen what you’ve managed to do in the past year, even while Iroh was Firelord. Don’t beat yourself up too much, okay?”

“Yeah,” Zuko sniffed, moving away from Sokka’s arms to lay his head on his shoulder. “Thank you, Sokka.”

“For what?”

“For everything.” he whispered. “For being my friend. For not being my friend. For being stupidly brave and confessing your feelings on the day that we all should’ve died. I love you, stupid.”

“I love you too, Sparky.”

Katara was stunned, and hurt, and confused. She just wanted to know why her brother would keep something like this from her. Instead of doing the rational thing, and asking him, she ran silently away from the garden, tears streaming down her face.

**\---**

“Katara?”

She was sitting up against the wall, in the hallway just off of the guest chambers, her knees pulled up to her chest. Sokka sat down next to her, mirroring her position.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she whispered, finally breaking the unstable silence that had settled around them.

“Oh, Spirits, Katara.” Sokka sighed. “Are you mad?”

“Sokka, no. Of course not.” she breathed. “Is that- is that why you didn’t tell me? Because you thought I’d be mad?”

“I dunno.” he said quietly. “I mean, you didn’t really like him to begin with, and, and, I guess I really wasn’t sure if you’d be okay with it, and-”

She cut him off by pulling him into a strong-armed hug, squeezing him so tightly that he couldn’t breathe. “I’ve seen you around him, Sokka. We’ve met so many people,  _ so many people _ , and of all of them, he’s your match. He’s your match, dumbass, and I’d never try to take that away from you.”

Sokka laughed, and it came out as half a sob. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. In all honesty, I kinda thought that Aang already had.”

“You told Aang before you told me?!”

**\---**

It was late when Sokka climbed into bed behind Zuko, coming from the hallway where he’d been sitting with Katara. He could tell that Zuko was still awake, because he was still carrying the tension in his shoulders from earlier that day, and had yet to fully relax into the man behind him. 

Sokka wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, letting Zuko snuggle back into him. “You good?” he whispered.

“No.” Zuko sighed. “Of course not. But you being here makes it better.”

“Love,” Sokka breathed, pressing a sickly-sweet kiss against the back of his neck. “You’re going to do great tomorrow, you know that, right?”   
  


“M’ not sure.” Zuko murmured, relaxing further into Sokka’s arms. “I’m just so worried that I’ll turn out like him.”

“Zuko.” Sokka said, suddenly fierce. “You are  _ not  _ like him. Not in the slightest. You are brave, and caring and compassionate, whereas he’s a coward, who has no emotions, and no regard for those around him. I don’t think I’ve met any two people who are so different. Don’t let him get to you.”

“I love you,” breathed Zuko. “Thank you, so much, for everything.”

“I love you too.” Sokka whispered back, waiting until Zuko’s breath’s had evened out to let himself follow him into a deep sleep.

**\---**

“Listen,” Sokka started. It was the day of the coronation, and they were all waiting in the wings, and Sokka could practically feel the nervous energy radiating from Zuko. He grabbed his hands, causing him to turn. “Just- just know that you’re going to do great, okay? I have never believed in anyone more than I believe in you, and I’m so damn proud of everything that you’ve managed to do with your life. So, I wanted to give you something, just to, er, say thank you. For just, being you, y’know?”

Zuko looked at him in surprise, and Sokka reached down into the pocket of his robes, pullinging out a pendant on a ribbon. “It isn’t like, a formal proposal, or anything, but I wanted you to have it, just to remind you that I’m in it for the long run, okay?” He wrapped the betrothal necklace around Zuko’s wrist, as opposed to his neck, so that it could be more inconspicuous. 

“Sokka…” Zuko whispered. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

“I love you, Firelord Zuko.”

“Well, I’m technically not Firelord for another hour, but I love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked this little bit, and if you did, please leave a comment and kudos down beow, they always make my day!
> 
> Have a great day! <3
> 
> xx,  
> CJ
> 
> [EDIT: I just wanted to say thank you, sososososo much for all of the love and support that this fic has been getting! It's only been up for about a day, and it's already burned straight through all of my other fic's to become the most popular one, and I can't thank you wonderful humans enough for that. You have no idea what it was like for me to wake up and check my inbox and see hundreds of people who have left kudos on something that I put so much love into. It gives me so much joy knowing that there are so many other amazing nerds just like me out there, and I'm so glad that I've found a place in this community that's full of so many awesome people! So thanks for that, and look out for tons of Zukka work coming from me soon!
> 
> Peace out, awesome nerds!  
> xx,  
> CJ]


End file.
